Category: Christmas Haunts

Sinister Pointe is spreading a little Christmas Fear to all you horror fiends with our 4th-ish annual “NOT So Merry Holiday Haunt”.

Sinister Pointe will revamp their current Halloween attraction to bring you a brand new “Choose your own adventure style”, interactive, Rude, Crude, comical and terrifying XMAS nightmare! Which includes plenty of inappropriate behavior, language and insults. If you are easily offended then this specific holiday event is NOT for you.

This Event is NOT for children!

ATTENTION:
This attraction breaks off at various points to give the guests a “Choose your own path” type of experience. Guests can experience all that the NOT so Merry attraction has to offer by venturing through the attraction 2 times as opposed to the 4 separate paths offered during our Halloween Event. This attraction is slightly longer than the Halloween experience and contains more INTERACTIVE elements.

And YES! Everyone will get to take their picture with a NOT So Merry SANTA! (Photo Sold Separately)

August 23, 2016 / Russell / Comments Off on FIRST LOOK: 2016 Haunted Mansion Holiday Gingerbread House at Disneyland Park

Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort is just around the corner, and we’ve got your first look at this year’s Haunted Mansion Holiday gingerbread house. Gingerbread houses have graced the ballroom scene of Haunted Mansion Holiday for the past 15 years, and this year’s creation consists of:

As you can see, the house is inspired by one of our favorite Halloween Town residents, Sally, from “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

“The whole structure has been cobbled and stitched together from other different gingerbread houses and treats,” says Tim Wollweber, Associate Art Director for Disney Parks, who designed this year’s house. “But it appears that sometime during the house’s construction, a gingerbread ghoul was entombed! Apparently he’s eager to sew himself up inside – much like another mansion graveyard ghoul you’ve probably seen.”

Are you excited to see the finished masterpiece? Be sure to keep an eye out for this creepy confection in Haunted Mansion Holiday!

First there was Halloween and Friday the 13th, and now Christmas joins the holiday horror party at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights with an all new KRAMPUS maze based on the 2015 movie. We suspected that this would be one of the new mazes based upon pictures we saw of a facade being built on Hollywood’s backlot that looked identical to the home featured in the movie. This will be another shared property that will be featured at both the Hollywood and Orlando parks.

We’ve loved the Dark Christmas scare zone that was featured at HHN Hollywood the last two years. It seems that similar to what they did with La Llorona, the theme was tested as a scare zone before they fully committed to giving it it’s own maze. This should be wicked fun as the Krampus movie features some terrifyingly bizarre holiday creatures and monsters that are sure to be as scary as a family Christmas dinner when they’re brought to life by the Universal HHN teams.

The legend of Krampus was also used for a maze theme at least year’s ScareHouse. That maze provided guests with the rare opportunity to admire actual props, costumes, and practical creatures from the film before entering a highly immersive attraction that followed the legacy of Krampus, the iconic figure of dark folklore as old as Christmas itself.

At the Universal parks, the mazes will place guests right in the scenes of the holiday horror movie. The dead of winter will set the stage for the terror that unfolds one cold, dank and dreary Christmas Eve when the fabled anthropomorphic “half-goat, half-demon” horned creature emerges to terrorize those devoid of holiday spirit. In scenes lifted from the film, guests will navigate the dysfunctional Engel family home to encounter the evil ancient spirit of Krampus – the dark shadow of Saint Nicholas – and his band of Dark Elves and sinister Gingerbread Men, who cause the family to fight to see the light of day.

Say no more! We can’t wait to experience this maze. We really feel that this is shaping up to be one of the best years for HHN yet. Now we’re speculating as to what the remaining maze and Terror Tram themes for Hollywood will be. Our guess are attractions based on Universal’s The Purge Election Year, which will be releasing on DVD around that time, and Rob Zombie’s 31, which comes out in theaters this fall.

Additional details about Universal Studios’ “Halloween Horror Nights” will be revealed soon. For more information about Halloween Horror Nights at either Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando Resort, visit www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com.

Shopping at the mall, choking down fruitcake, dealing with your relatives….Is there a scarier time of year than the holidays? NO! That’s why holiday haunts make perfect sense.

If you live near Portland, Oregon, you’re in for a real Christmas treat this year, as Fear PDX Haunted House brings you not one, but FIVE haunted attractions all themed to the horror of the holiday season!

We all know about Santa Claus, but his dark companion Krampus has a more sinister way of doing business. He and his henchmen are visiting an old farm house to punish the undeserving. Sadly, Krampus turned out the lights and turned up the fear so you must fight through with only one glow stick. Good luck…

Who says clowns lack festivity? The rat king may meet his maker this holiday season as the glitter and glamour of this classic tale turns to gore and grime. So step right into this ballet of horror and experience a darker comedic version of the Nutcracker.

They should have let him join those reindeer games, but it’s too late now as Rudolph has a new way of making history. He’s tired of the torment from the other reindeer and has joined forces with evil spirits deep below the cavernous North Pole to seek revenge on those who ridiculed him. Whatever you do, don’t look at the light.

What better way to ring in the holiday spirit than by being stormed by a horde of brain-eating zombies. The apocalypse right during the holidays gives you just that with a festive twist. I triple dog dare you to join us. Christmas dinner is being served rare and nobody has seen Grandma in a while… Can you survive?

Thousands of years working the assembly line would drive anybody mad. So what happens when the elves finally crack? Now you can experience the place where elves can finally be corrected on their duties, sentenced to a lifetime of labor. But can you survive? Afterall, somebody’s gotta make the toys.

Fear PDXmas is open for TWO NIGHTS ONLY: December 18 and 19, 2015. So stuff your stocking with some tickets. At only $20, it’s a real bargain.

Chamber of Horrors NY is back with an all new show for 2015 with uniquely themed attractions and events.

For the 2015 Halloween season they’re offering Trilogy of Fear , three ALL NEW scare attractions Fridays & Saturdays this fall.

Maniac Manor – Miss Fortune’s home is where the heart is…as well as various other body parts!

Toxic City – Contamination. Infection. Outbreak. Mutants & Mayhem with you in the middle!

Witch Asylum – Visiting day descends into chaos as a you meet a little girl with a very big secret.

Sunday nights Chamber of Horrors NY goes dark with Kill the Light , where you navigate all three attractions in total darkness with only a single glow stick to guide you. Rest assured, the things that go bump in the night will see you before you see them!

Finally, the ever-controversial A Very Scary Xmas, where you are stalked by Santa and his minions of cannibalistic elves, zombie snowmen and other twisted Christmas characters you grew up loving.

Scare Zone Readers can take advantage of their Limited Time Preseason Ticket Special –
Use promo code FORTUNE and save $5 per ticket!Offer valid thru 8/9 & may not be combined w/other offersFull season tickets go on sale mid-August

This December Sinister Pointe is opening it’s doors AGAIN for a special limited time engagement. SP will transform their current Halloween Haunt maze into a Holiday Nightmare. Experience evil elves, killer santas, a gruesome grinch, wretched whos and an onslaught of everything that is just plain wrong! This event is HILARIOUSLY RUDE and CRUDE! Expect inappropriate behavior, strong language and insults. If you are easily offended then this SPECIFIC holiday event is NOT for you!!

Everyone that attends will get to take a photo with our NOT so merry Santa! (photos sold separately)

In 2011, Sinister Pointe secured a new, permanent location in Brea, California, and they promised us that in addition to being open for the Halloween season, they would open at other “select” times throughout the year for special events. They fulfilled that promise last weekend (December 9-11) by opening their doors for their first non-Halloween event: a “Not So Merry Xmas” haunt.

They did a impressive job of taking their haunt, which at Halloween time was a sort of hillbilly/slaughterhouse/cannibal theme, and transforming it to incorporate Christmas elements throughout.

As we approached the building, the exterior was lit up with red and green lights, and the 1964 claymation version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was projected onto a screen in the waiting area. A couple of scareactors dressed as satanic-looking elves roamed the parking lot, and a twisted Santa also sauntered around—drinking, smoking, and cursing.

Although the line was not nearly as long as during October, we still had a bit of a wait before proceeding to the inside portion of the queue. The movie being played in the line was a good distraction during this wait, and we hope that they add this during October, when the lines can get really long. The interior queue was also done up for the holidays, with Xmas lights strewn around and a Santa mannequin on the upper balcony. A demented elf on the balcony taunted us, made out with the Santa mannequin, and continually flipped off anyone trying to take his picture. He also made lewd gestures with mistletoe over his crotch area. We knew before we even entered the maze that this haunt was definitely Rated R and would have a different feel from the Halloween version.

Upon entering the house, we immediately had our picture taken with creepy Santa, who actually did reek of alcohol. Drinking in the parking lot was apparently not just an act, and we were really impressed with this dedication to character. After the photo op, we entered the maze. Unlike during Halloween, when the house had a “choose your own adventure” theme, this version had only one path to follow.

Many of the scenes in the maze included Xmas decorations and theming. A creepy and cool Christmas soundtrack by Jon Autopsy set a sinister Xmas spirit. Some of the scareactors were dressed as bloody elves, and new for the holiday season was a perverted “bunny” character, who we think was meant to represent Ralphie in A Christmas Story. At one point we were trapped in a room with perverted Ralphie, who dangled a carrot in a very inappropriate, and hilarious, place. There were also a couple of interactive features in the maze, which were fun.

Overall, Sinister Pointe’s “Not So Merry” Holiday Haunt was fun, but not as scary as their Halloween version. It definitely had a more “adult” feel, with all of the sexual innuendos and perverted characters roaming around. Because a lot of the scareactors got right in our faces with their nasty jokes, this interrupted the feeling of suspense the maze usually has and distracted from the scares. However, we think that was probably the point. Sinister Pointe managed to take their haunt, which was open only a couple of short months ago, and completely change the feel in it for this special event. It changed from a super scary, unpredictable Halloween maze into a fun, over-the-top holiday haunt. Taking that approach was very smart, because in the end, we in no way felt like we were just going through the same Halloween maze with a couple of Xmas decorations thrown in. It really did feel different, which is very important if they’re going to successfully open their haunt at various times throughout the year.

Although we don’t use our typical “skull ratings” for off-season haunts, we would definitely recommend checking out Sinister Pointe the next time they open. Early rumors indicate that they may be open for a Valentine’s Day haunt. “Like” them on Facebook to keep up with all of the latest news.

For some amazing photos from inside Sinister Pointe’s Holiday Haunt, check out Westcoaster.net.

Take a journey through the historical, yet hysterical, Christmas time tunnel, courtesy of a ghostly Ebenezer Scrooge, where he will introduce you to a number of seasonal characters who have helped shape the face of Christmas over the centuries.

On your journey, you will have the chance to join the Roman winter feast of Saturnalia, where Christmas dinner is served with a twist! Visitors will get the chance to get up close and personal with the infamous ‘vomit collectors’ who were traditionally employed to clear up the vomit of diners who purge themselves to make space for the next course!

If that doesn’t put you off, we then transport you back to the medieval Viking Age where you will be invited to raise a glass or two with a Norwegian Viking storyteller. Interestingly, find out how the origin of the “modern” Father Christmas story being pulled in his sleigh, comes from the ancient Nordic God “Thor” and his sledge which was traditionally pulled by ferocious horned goats.

Another, urban legend is the Frost Fair which took place each winter on a frozen River Thames. Londoners in the 1600s were able to take advantage of these freezing conditions by ice-skating across the river. However, with this sparked the fear of frozen lakes & rivers, with the tragic story of John Smith, who fell through the ice where he met his bitter death. Visitors are then invited to experience the darker side of Christmas with the ghost of Charles Dickens, as he reflects on his experience of living among the destitute streets of London.

This December, Sinister Pointe is giving Southern California a delightfully frightening Christmas gift. They’re bringing us a “not so merry holiday haunt” to their new, permanent location in Brea called “Christmas Fear.”

The existing haunt will be given a holiday theme, and they promise “new surprises.” Although some interactivity will be present, the “choose left or right” will not be available, meaning that victims will follow a single path to their festive doom.

This event will take place for ONE WEEKEND ONLY (December 9, 10, and 11), so be sure to plan ahead. Tickets are limited, so we suggest buying in advance. Tickets are $15 for regular admission, or $23 with fast pass. Click here for tickets.